A headstrong Chinese-American woman returns to China when her
beloved grandmother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Billi struggles with her
family’s decision to keep grandma in the dark about her own illness as they all
stage an impromptu wedding to see grandma one last time. KIDS FIRST! Film
Critic Jolleen M. comments, “This film rocked everyone’s emotions. Although
there are multiple instances where the film is a bit slow, the overall
emotional impact is great. There are moments of comedic relief throughout. I
think that everyone can relate to this film in some way. I made connections
with some of the ideas and scenes even though I am not Chinese.” See her full
review below.

The FarewellBy Jolleen Mejia, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 14

This film rocked everyone’s emotions. Although there are
multiple instances where the film is a bit slow, the overall emotional impact
is great. There are moments of comedic relief throughout. I think that everyone
can relate to this film in some way. I made connections with some of the ideas
and scenes even though I am not Chinese.

The Farewell is about Billi and her family’s reunion in China. They reunite because their grandma has developed
lung cancer and the doctor says she only has weeks to live. The family chooses
not to tell Nai-Nai (grandma) that she has lung cancer. Instead, they tell her
that they are reunited for a wedding. Billi’s family tells her that the reason
for not telling Nai-Nai is that it’s not the cancer that kills, but the fear.
The film is all about appreciating the time you have on earth and with your
family. There are many moments of stillness, included watching the wind blow
through the trees, for 30 seconds or more. I find this aspect of the film
beautiful, as it reminds me of the phrase, “stop and smell the roses.” But
others might interpret these moments as filler scenes and pointless.

Awkwafina, as Billie, is an exceptional actress. You can feel
the emotion she conveys through the screen, even if she doesn’t say anything.
For her role she needs to show the audience that she is deeply troubled, but
also show that she tries to hide her feelings from her grandma. That is very
difficult to do and she does it perfectly. Without this, the film would lose a
lot of its emotional impact.

The music sets the mood very well for some scenes, but in
others silence and black screens are set
the mood. Sometimes it’s the noise of nature, like the wind blowing through the
leaves. Scenes like these are what makes the film divergent.

The message of this film is about being appreciative of all
aspects of life. Billie begins to realize that while she spends time with her
family in China. Every moment is a gift. I
love that the film is quite simple yet it has such a powerful effect.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 11
to 18, as well as adults. There are innuendos, use of alcohol, cigarettes and
some bad language. Despite this, the film will move you to tears so check it
out! It comes out July 12, 2019 in theaters!

This entry was posted
on Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019 at 2:37 pm and is filed under Jury Updates.
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